The eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), domesticated from the South-Asian native plant Solanum incanum. It is an important food crop grown around the world. Eggplants are the only economically important Solanaceae crop not native to the Americas, making it a useful outgroup for phylogenetic studies. Eggplants produce many potent antioxidants, including the flavonoid pigment nasunin, which is responsible for the deep purple color of the eggplant’s skin. The eggplant genome is diploid and has a size of 825 Mb.
Genome release:
https://academic.oup.com/dnaresearch/article/21/6/649/2754548
Hirakawa, H., Shirasawa, K., Miyatake, K.O.J.I., Nunome, T., Negoro, S., Ohyama, A.K.I.O., Yamaguchi, H., Sato, S., Isobe, S., Tabata, S. and Fukuoka, H., 2014. Draft genome sequence of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): the representative solanum species indigenous to the old world. DNA research, 21(6), pp.649-660.
Content written by Galyna Vakulenko Summer Intern 2018
